Sep. 11—Anjon’s Ristorante, a revival of the former Anjon’s on Route 1 in Scarborough, is set to launch next Wednesday, Sept. 18.
Chef-owner John DiSanto had hoped to open in early summer, but was delayed by permitting requirements. DiSanto explained that the restaurant is set in a residential zone, so its variance needed to be renewed because it had been closed for longer than a year. Anjon’s closed in September 2019.
“I’m glad we had the extra time because we gave the place a facelift, which it needed 10 years ago,” DiSanto said. “What I’ve created here is what I envisioned. If I had opened three months ago, it just wouldn’t have been the way I wanted it. I think my customers are in for a real treat.”
Anjon’s has been a local institution for decades. The restaurant was opened by DiSanto’s grandparents in 1954 in the same location. After Anjon’s closed in 2019, the venue briefly hosted another Italian restaurant, Amore on the Marsh.
Earlier this year, friends, family and other well-wishers in the community donated more than $20,000 to help DiSanto cover the project’s startup costs. “I was very humbled, and it gave me the enthusiasm to do more,” he said.
DiSanto has streamlined Anjon’s menu. The restaurant will no longer serve steaks and seafood, but will instead focus on Italian specialties, including the old Anjon’s faves like chicken parmesan; bread stuffed with salami, pepperoni and provolone; and meatballs with sauce.
“The old menu read like a bible. It took forever to read it, and there was a lot of food waste,” DiSanto said.
Anjon’s Ristorante will be open Sunday-Thursday from 5-9 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 5-10 p.m.
UNION BAGEL MOVES TO FALMOUTH
Union Bagel Co. has moved its operations from Portland to Falmouth, where it again offers a retail shop.
Adam Shapiro, owner of the former Mister Bagel at 204 U.S. Route 1, said he teamed up with Union Bagel owner and baker Paul Farrell earlier this year. Union Bagel has taken over the Mister Bagel Falmouth space.
Shapiro said the Falmouth store is Union’s first retail operation in about two years. Farrell had been doing wholesale business out of Union’s Cumberland Avenue location. That shop has since closed, and Union’s wholesale business is now also based in the Falmouth venue.
Union Bagel is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m.
ELDA’S PORTLAND OPENING DELAYED
Biddeford’s former fine-dining standout Elda has delayed its relaunch in Portland until next spring.
When Elda chef and co-owner Bowman Brown announced the move last winter, he had hoped to be open by now in the new Bayside home at 34 Portland St. But in late spring, Brown and his wife, co-owner Anna Brown, decided to expand their buildout of the space to include a two-bed/two-bath residential unit above the restaurant.
“We’ve decided to use the building to its maximum investment potential. And that was much more than we were originally going to take on,” said Brown. “I’m going to say it’s going to be another six to eight months before we’re welcoming guests for dinner.”
The 1,200-square-foot restaurant will have about 22 seats. “There’s something really nice about keeping the scale really small,” Brown said. “It’s easy to plan for, and it feels very controllable.”
Brown said he expects being based in Portland will expose Elda to more potential customers. “I imagine a lot of the folks that came to Elda in Biddeford will continue to come to Portland,” he said. “We may have access to more people just passing through (Portland).”
SILLY’S TO RELAUNCH IN STANDISH
Popular longtime restaurant Silly’s, which has been operating as a food truck in Standish for the past two years, plans to relaunch as a brick-and-mortar venue in that town in early 2025.
Silly’s owner Colleen Kelley bought a building a 131 Ossipee Trail West in Standish, which Silly’s will share with a martial arts school, Ebb and Flow BJJ. The new location previously hosted Grammy’s Bakehouse and Deli.
Silly’s had operated in Portland for 31 years when it closed in 2019 at 40 Washington Ave., in part due to family health concerns. Another version of Silly’s opened in 2020 just down the street at 68 Washington Ave., though it shuttered in March 2022.
Kelley said after that, “I lost my mind and bought a food truck, which was a total lemon.” Kelley has had multiple problems with the truck, including its fire suppression system breaking down this past Memorial Day weekend. She said she’ll keep running the truck until the restaurant opens, but may sell it afterward.
The Standish Silly’s will be a counter-service operation with about 18 seats, and Kelley said she hopes to have some seasonal outdoor seating as well.
Kelley expects Silly’s will be open Friday through Tuesday, with tentative hours of 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., depending on staffing. “I’m planning to be open Mondays and Tuesdays because everything in Standish is closed then,” she said.
“I’m going to take it slow and do the best I can,” Kelley added. “I’m out of practice. It’s been a long time. It’s late in my life to buy a building, but this is the last time I’ll reincarnate Silly’s.”
FOOD & WINE TOASTS KNIGHTVILLE
Food & Wine magazine this month called South Portland’s Knightville neighborhood “Maine’s next big dining destination.”
The story notes that while it has long been a “locals’ hub,” Knightville “has finally become a destination in its own right, pulling visitors who might otherwise pass through without stopping on their way to iconic Fort Williams Park and other beaches in Cape Elizabeth and Scarborough.”
Among the venues cited in the piece are Broadway Bowl, Cia, Dok Mali Noodle Bar, Lambs, Night Moves Bread, SoPo Seafood and Taco Trio.
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Amanda Smith is a dedicated U.S. correspondent with a passion for uncovering the stories that shape the nation. With a background in political science, she provides in-depth analysis and insightful commentary on domestic affairs, ensuring readers are well-informed about the latest developments across the United States.
